ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (2023) – A somewhat overly romanticized version of WWII
Rating: ⭐⭐ 1/2

This 4 episodes miniseries is based on a 2014 bestselling war novel by American author Anthony Doerr, which tells the unlikely fairy tale like romance between a blind French girl Marie, and a young German soldier Werner, who is some sort of technology wiz kid on radio. They are both somehow connected through their mutual interest and love of the radio and a common channel that they were particularly attracted to that somehow provided them with a vision of hope amidst the turmoil of the war.
The series is quite addictive viewing due to its easy flow and narration on the parallel lives of two protagonists which eventually collide. While the story is naturally pure fiction, it is set during the World War II and the siege and battle for control of the small French town of Saint-Malo where the main part of the story takes place, was very real. This provided the bleak background in which our star-crossed lover live in and would eventually find each other against all odds. Even though the whole thing feels a little like some sort of Disney fairy tale, we are still drawn to the plot and willing to play along like some sort of guilty pleasure. The set pieces and particular the bombing of Saint-Malo at the finale was pretty impressive for a modest series.
Its two main young stars Aria Mia Loberti as Marie and Louis Hofmann as Werner seem like a perfect fit for the characters that they play. They emulated the right level of natural charm and innocence that fits the story’s themes of identity, morality and hope. The story also has the clever concept of referring to “light we cannot see” with multiple meanings. For example, from the point of view of a blind person, or to the reference to the electromagnetic radio waves that we are unable to see but yet provides the platform for enlightenment. I understand that the TV series also took the liberty to give the story a more hopeful and less depressing ending than the original book. All for the better. The world is already too full of suffering and despair for us to be further burdened by more in the world of entertainment.